Gun and Powder
Tax Evader the Arknight Operator
- Location
- W.Corp Train
- Pronouns
- He/They
Wait you don't know Virtual Insanity?
Interlude: The Painted World
thenew
#1 Masters of the Bazaar Fan
- Location
- My Lodgings
Interlude: The Painted World
There were two people on that camp.
"I dare say, you are a very skilled cook, Malkuth!" said the first of them.
She was a black-haired Perro, excitedly chomping down on a piece of her pancake. She had left her naginata on the ground, right next to her.
Her name was "Saga." Nothing but a humble servant of the Buddha, a wandering monk from the lands of Higashi.
And she had quite an appetite.
"Malkuth."
"Hm-hm." said the monk. "Pajeon, hm? It has been a long time since I tasted Dan cuisine during my travels. Unlike okonomiyaki, it is not sweet! Rather, it is more savory. I can taste a saltier flavor… What interesting cuisine! Are you from Dan, Malkuth?"
"Malkuth."
"Oh, I see, more spice! You do like it a lot, don't you? So, is it missing an ingredient?"
"Malkuth."
"Oh, scallions! It sounds wonderful. It is a shame we can't find any here. So, you replaced it with what?"
"Malkuth."
"Ah. But did you-"
"Malkuth!"
"Eh? The sun? What's with the sun?"
The woman stands up, her strange orange cape swishing in the wind behind her.
"...ah, so it is time! You will meet the Ink Spirits in battle again, then! I had almost forgotten."
This individual had been here for almost two months, according to her own personal timeline. Every single day, at 16 hours in point, she would stand up, walk to the mountain, kill Ink Spirits until her scythe was dyed entirely black, and leave.
This pattern had repeated every day ever since her arrival.
As she left, the wandering monk did not follow, simply watching the woman, eyeing her enormous scythe with curiosity and interest.
The monsters were awaiting her, now.
Indeed- no matter how many times this mysterious woman killed them, more were there to take their place.
Such was the nature of this place.
She continued to walk towards them, leaving the village behind. She did not care much about what would happen to it.
The reason for this was the woman herself. She had roused them before- climbing the mountain to attack them.
She wished to burn those monsters to cinders, for no reason other than to test herself.
The monsters wished to tear her apart.
Only one would get what they wanted.
For the 56th time, the first and oldest member of Turbulence Office walked to meet the hordes of Ink Spirits in battle.
Saga simply watched as she left the campfire. She had seen her fight before- was almost like a dance- it reminded her of home, of the spars between the monks.
She continued to walk.
Eventually, she found herself at the foot od the mountain.
The climb begun.
That form was impeccable. "Uno," they called her, the first. The Fixer who had never lost a single battle in her life, had come out of nowhere, origins unknown, shrouded in mystery.
Her form blurred, she took a single step.
Thirty-six monsters fell into puddles of ink.
She took another step. In one instant, she was on the ground.
In the other, she was in the air, scythe twirling. Something tried to leap at her, but she paid it no mind- she spun in the wind and carved it in two. Then, her form vanished again.
The monsters paused for one second- and ink sprouted from their forms, wounds erupting from their torsos and heads. If you paid close attention, you would notice- instants before the wound appeared. An afterimage, the sign that their paths had crossed.
Malkuth appeared next to a monster. The scythe spun.
Another monster. Another singular movement.
Another monster. Another sole strike.
Again, and again, and again.
The strikes were not only there to wound. They were left reeling, twitching, with a frequency left on their forms. A precise frequency…
Malkuth reappeared behind the lines of ink spirits, twisting her scythe into another position. She tapped the ground lightly.
And then every monster she had struck erupted in flames.
She took a wide bow.
There was no audience to give her a standing ovation.
She turned her head towards the village, and returned without a second thought.
That presence…
It is not human.
But it is an interesting story, all the same.
It pretends to be. It is but a mask, and not even one with much effort placed behind it.
"Malkuth."
A single word, repeated perpetually. Yet, meaning can be discerned from this incoherence and repetition.
I feel something… flame. Burning flame. Hungering, intense, the same that consumes cities, devours nations, and drags all it can into its hungering maw. A flame that can never be quenched, that destroys all boundaries, a flame that consumes all and spares none.
A true inferno, the force of a wildfire.
Sparks blossom into embers, embers blossom into fires, fires rise until they are worthy of the name "Catastrophe." This is what I see.
Long, gaunt fingers, formed from blackened, carbonized flesh. A layer of false skin, in truth nothing but ash and soot. That scythe… it leaves behind a song. An enigma of a song.
That song, if played correctly, will burst into flame as well.
This is no Arts phenomenon.
This is not a being that resembles us.
This is not one of "these creatures" that await in the north.
Neither is this one of the beings that await in the tides, to the south.
It feels human, still.
Even when it unveils that eye, that single, burning eye, surrounded by a raging firestorm, when it sheds all pretenses of humanity… it still feels fundamentally human.
What is this creature?
I can tell that it is attempting to disguise itself. It clings to that face, to that name. I can feel… memories. Memories of what it was meant to be, so long ago. But they are unsure, fragile. What I know is that...
It wishes to be something that is not itself.
It is not human, but it is not whatever it is "supposed" to be.
Whatever it is, it's not what it wants to be, and so this being lives in contradiction to itself.
Ah.
How inspiring.
Saga clapped.
"It has been two months since you entered this village, Malkuth, and yet you remain on this routine. Do you not tire of defending the people of this land so tirelessly?"
"Malkuth?"
"I see! How inspiring! Hm? How long have I been here?"
"Malkuth."
"Nine years, I believe." she pauses, looking at the woman in front of her, and then at the dwindling flames flickering in the air. "You are aware of the nature of this place, and you have always been so. You chose to step into this place of your own will, then."
"Malkuth."
"An audience with the Dusk Beauty?"
"Malkuth."
"...why, in fact?"
"Malkuth."
"Ah, I see! You sensed something interesting! So you too are a wanderer?"
"Malkuth."
"Friends, scattered across the world?"
"Malkuth…"
"A vault of treasure, one day to be overcome?"
"Malkuth."
"A dazzling beauty who you seek to return to!?"
"Malkuth."
"Ah, no, I misheard. You're referring to your home, not to a person."
"Malkuth."
"What am I here for?"
"Malkuth!"
"Well, I will then have to tell you the story. It has some fame in Yan, perhaps you've heard of the "Scene of Crude Mounts Utmost Risen." 'Twas said not even the wealth of the imperial family could obtain it from the hands of the obscure artist who made that magnificent work." said the woman.
"Malkuth."
"Ah, you have not. Very well, then. I will begin. Since childhood I grew up in a monastery in Higashi. Be that as it may, I was only adopted by the old head priest..."
Did you call me, miss Binah… ? I haven't been assigned a job for today…
You are the new transfer, aren't you?
Yes… from the Control department…
What is your name?
It's… █████████.
…I see. Your task for today is quite simple. You will accompany me, and personally assist me in the extraction process of a new Abnormality.
I understand, miss Binah. I'll do my best.
I'm sure you will.
"You're a strange one." said the owner of the pawnshop.
Her name was "Dawn."
"Malkuth."
She sighed.
"You do know I cannot understand you, unlike that monk."
"Malkuth."
"What do you even want from me?"
The woman gestured at something. Dawn couldn't help but notice something on her hands- they were… covered in ash?
She shook her head. It was not important.
"...the firecrackers? You want them?"
"Malkuth."
"Was that… a yes or a no?"
"Malkuth!"
"Just… just gesture! Use your hands, I can't understand what you're saying!"
"...Malkuth." she said, pointing once again at the firecrackers. She then gave a thumbs-down.
"You don't want them?"
She made a "bigger" gesture with her two hands.
"Bigger firecrackers?"
Another negative gesture. A finger rising to the sky, and then a mimicked explosion.
"Fireworks… I… I think I might have some? On the back of the store. I haven't used them for some time, don't know if they're still good. But… that will cost you. What do you even want them for…?"
It's such a deep slumber.
I can watch those waters, churning, twisting… and they're warm.
I wish I'd never taken this role.
I don't wish I'd remained content with what I once was… but maybe I should have chosen a different path.
I've always wanted to be a Fixer. Did all of them have dreams, too?
All of the others?
All of us, sleeping within this graveyard?
But now…
We are neither alive nor dead.
We await within those tombstones, dreaming…
Miss Malkuth, where are you? You taught me all I know. I always wanted to be like you.
Can you give me one last lesson…?
Please teach me how to wake up.
I don't want to dream of flames anymore.
When Saga woke up, she did not see her newfound friend.
She opened her eyes, and saw that the campfire she had left was still lit. The flames were exactly as they had been left when she slept- they had not been extinguished, and they had not grown.
The pot above them was hissing and letting out steam.
Saga carefully reached out and removed the lid.
It was stew. A pot of stew.
She'd left a pot of stew.
She was going away, wasn't she? Away from here…
Well, supposed Saga.
Perhaps it's time for me to follow.
She prepared herself to slip into a meditative trance. But something stopped her- the smell. The scent of the stew entered her nose.
Hm.
Perhaps she would have a bit of stew before it.
When the work result was Good, the Qliphoth Counter lowered.
When the work result was Normal, the Qliphoth Counter lowered.
Please refrain from sending Control Department employees to the Containment Unit.
"Storyteller! Storyteller!" said a little girl, coming into his house, screaming.
The man was currently busy writing something or another. He turned his head towards the little girl, who was gesturing for him to come out.
"What- are the Ink Spirits attacking?"
"No, no! Didn't you hear it? The fireworks! Someone's set up fireworks!"
"Uh?"
He couldn't resist. He had to look at it. Did Dawn set her fireworks off? Did… did she even have enough for a show?
The girl took his hand, and pulled him out of the house.
He had a faint smile on his face as he stepped out- but soon, it was replaced by disbelief.
"Isn't it pretty?!"
This…
This wasn't a fireworks show.
This was…
This was a dragon.
A colossal dragon of flame, risen from the mountain, dancing in the sky. It was hauntingly beautiful…
"She launched a big fireworks show into the sky! And now, she's summoned a dragon, storyteller!"
Summoned… a dragon.
What was this?
How did she know?
How could she know? He'd never seen her before. Who was this person?
Manager! This is the captain of Disciplinary. The ALEPH-classed Abnormality "Flames Lurking Within" has breached containment!
The transference was botched- We've had a complete failure on the Deterrence protocols! I am requesting permission to- no.
No, get away from me!
No!
"...I want to ask." said the woman, while finishing her painting. "What are you? I still don't know."
"Malkuth."
"You are "Malkuth." You refuse to be anything else. But you were meant to be that something else, weren't you?"
"Malkuth."
"...I won't leave with you."
Silence.
"Why do you… why do you want this?"
Silence.
"Do you… see something of yourself in me?"
Silence.
"I spoke to the monk already. And I still don't understand you. You came out of nowhere. How did you even know I was here? Who are you? Did one of the others send you."
A shake of her head.
"No?" she asks. "Then why?"
"Malkuth."
A sigh.
"I can't understand you, you know. But I know you can speak. You can speak at any moment."
"Malkuth."
"You once spoke, didn't you? When you were different from what you are today."
Silence.
"I won't be leaving."
A hand reaches out and grabs the arm of the dragon, interrupting her painting.
"Stop- stop this! I won't be leaving!"
She starts dragging her off.
"Malkuth."
"Stop!"
"Malkuth."
The painter wrenches herself free- and snarls. She reaches for her sword-
And then the room erupts in fire.
Oi, man, stop sulking. We've made it to Grade 5 today, haven't we?
Yeah. It's a big accomplishment, but I'm…
You're what?
I'm just wondering if we'll ever become something important, you know? If we'll ever get strong enough to take on the big leagues.
Well, you better get to work, if you want to get there.
Yeah, yeah. I don't like being the boss, you know? I swear, one day I'm going to find a way to shunt this off on one of you.
Nah. If you want someone to be the boss, you're going to have to find someone for that. No way I'm ever getting your workload without a 30% cut of everything, at least. And we swore we'd never do that, right?
...yeah. We're all in this together.
Now, we've gotta get to District F today. There's reports of… unusual phenomena? Doesn't matter. What matters is that we've got to find out what is causing it.
Backstreets or Nest?
Backstreets, obviously. You think I'm made of money?
Wonder why they couldn't just hire the Sevens, if they want a mystery solved.
Well, Turbulence Office is cheaper.
Yeah, there's that. We have to be, to compete with the other guys. But I wonder what we'll find. This City is full of mysteries.
Well, whatever it is, it has something to do with fire, according to the info we already have. Bring the protective gear, okay? I don't want to get in a brawl without it... I've learned my lesson last time.
There were two people on that camp.
"I dare say, you are a very skilled cook, Malkuth!" said the first of them.
She was a black-haired Perro, excitedly chomping down on a piece of her pancake. She had left her naginata on the ground, right next to her.
Her name was "Saga." Nothing but a humble servant of the Buddha, a wandering monk from the lands of Higashi.
And she had quite an appetite.
"Malkuth."
"Hm-hm." said the monk. "Pajeon, hm? It has been a long time since I tasted Dan cuisine during my travels. Unlike okonomiyaki, it is not sweet! Rather, it is more savory. I can taste a saltier flavor… What interesting cuisine! Are you from Dan, Malkuth?"
"Malkuth."
"Oh, I see, more spice! You do like it a lot, don't you? So, is it missing an ingredient?"
"Malkuth."
"Oh, scallions! It sounds wonderful. It is a shame we can't find any here. So, you replaced it with what?"
"Malkuth."
"Ah. But did you-"
"Malkuth!"
"Eh? The sun? What's with the sun?"
The woman stands up, her strange orange cape swishing in the wind behind her.
"...ah, so it is time! You will meet the Ink Spirits in battle again, then! I had almost forgotten."
This individual had been here for almost two months, according to her own personal timeline. Every single day, at 16 hours in point, she would stand up, walk to the mountain, kill Ink Spirits until her scythe was dyed entirely black, and leave.
This pattern had repeated every day ever since her arrival.
As she left, the wandering monk did not follow, simply watching the woman, eyeing her enormous scythe with curiosity and interest.
The monsters were awaiting her, now.
Indeed- no matter how many times this mysterious woman killed them, more were there to take their place.
Such was the nature of this place.
She continued to walk towards them, leaving the village behind. She did not care much about what would happen to it.
The reason for this was the woman herself. She had roused them before- climbing the mountain to attack them.
She wished to burn those monsters to cinders, for no reason other than to test herself.
The monsters wished to tear her apart.
Only one would get what they wanted.
For the 56th time, the first and oldest member of Turbulence Office walked to meet the hordes of Ink Spirits in battle.
Saga simply watched as she left the campfire. She had seen her fight before- was almost like a dance- it reminded her of home, of the spars between the monks.
She continued to walk.
Eventually, she found herself at the foot od the mountain.
The climb begun.
That form was impeccable. "Uno," they called her, the first. The Fixer who had never lost a single battle in her life, had come out of nowhere, origins unknown, shrouded in mystery.
Her form blurred, she took a single step.
Thirty-six monsters fell into puddles of ink.
She took another step. In one instant, she was on the ground.
In the other, she was in the air, scythe twirling. Something tried to leap at her, but she paid it no mind- she spun in the wind and carved it in two. Then, her form vanished again.
The monsters paused for one second- and ink sprouted from their forms, wounds erupting from their torsos and heads. If you paid close attention, you would notice- instants before the wound appeared. An afterimage, the sign that their paths had crossed.
Malkuth appeared next to a monster. The scythe spun.
Another monster. Another singular movement.
Another monster. Another sole strike.
Again, and again, and again.
The strikes were not only there to wound. They were left reeling, twitching, with a frequency left on their forms. A precise frequency…
Malkuth reappeared behind the lines of ink spirits, twisting her scythe into another position. She tapped the ground lightly.
And then every monster she had struck erupted in flames.
She took a wide bow.
There was no audience to give her a standing ovation.
She turned her head towards the village, and returned without a second thought.
That presence…
It is not human.
But it is an interesting story, all the same.
It pretends to be. It is but a mask, and not even one with much effort placed behind it.
"Malkuth."
A single word, repeated perpetually. Yet, meaning can be discerned from this incoherence and repetition.
I feel something… flame. Burning flame. Hungering, intense, the same that consumes cities, devours nations, and drags all it can into its hungering maw. A flame that can never be quenched, that destroys all boundaries, a flame that consumes all and spares none.
A true inferno, the force of a wildfire.
Sparks blossom into embers, embers blossom into fires, fires rise until they are worthy of the name "Catastrophe." This is what I see.
Long, gaunt fingers, formed from blackened, carbonized flesh. A layer of false skin, in truth nothing but ash and soot. That scythe… it leaves behind a song. An enigma of a song.
That song, if played correctly, will burst into flame as well.
This is no Arts phenomenon.
This is not a being that resembles us.
This is not one of "these creatures" that await in the north.
Neither is this one of the beings that await in the tides, to the south.
It feels human, still.
Even when it unveils that eye, that single, burning eye, surrounded by a raging firestorm, when it sheds all pretenses of humanity… it still feels fundamentally human.
What is this creature?
I can tell that it is attempting to disguise itself. It clings to that face, to that name. I can feel… memories. Memories of what it was meant to be, so long ago. But they are unsure, fragile. What I know is that...
It wishes to be something that is not itself.
It is not human, but it is not whatever it is "supposed" to be.
Whatever it is, it's not what it wants to be, and so this being lives in contradiction to itself.
Ah.
How inspiring.
Saga clapped.
"It has been two months since you entered this village, Malkuth, and yet you remain on this routine. Do you not tire of defending the people of this land so tirelessly?"
"Malkuth?"
"I see! How inspiring! Hm? How long have I been here?"
"Malkuth."
"Nine years, I believe." she pauses, looking at the woman in front of her, and then at the dwindling flames flickering in the air. "You are aware of the nature of this place, and you have always been so. You chose to step into this place of your own will, then."
"Malkuth."
"An audience with the Dusk Beauty?"
"Malkuth."
"...why, in fact?"
"Malkuth."
"Ah, I see! You sensed something interesting! So you too are a wanderer?"
"Malkuth."
"Friends, scattered across the world?"
"Malkuth…"
"A vault of treasure, one day to be overcome?"
"Malkuth."
"A dazzling beauty who you seek to return to!?"
"Malkuth."
"Ah, no, I misheard. You're referring to your home, not to a person."
"Malkuth."
"What am I here for?"
"Malkuth!"
"Well, I will then have to tell you the story. It has some fame in Yan, perhaps you've heard of the "Scene of Crude Mounts Utmost Risen." 'Twas said not even the wealth of the imperial family could obtain it from the hands of the obscure artist who made that magnificent work." said the woman.
"Malkuth."
"Ah, you have not. Very well, then. I will begin. Since childhood I grew up in a monastery in Higashi. Be that as it may, I was only adopted by the old head priest..."
Did you call me, miss Binah… ? I haven't been assigned a job for today…
You are the new transfer, aren't you?
Yes… from the Control department…
What is your name?
It's… █████████.
…I see. Your task for today is quite simple. You will accompany me, and personally assist me in the extraction process of a new Abnormality.
I understand, miss Binah. I'll do my best.
I'm sure you will.
"You're a strange one." said the owner of the pawnshop.
Her name was "Dawn."
"Malkuth."
She sighed.
"You do know I cannot understand you, unlike that monk."
"Malkuth."
"What do you even want from me?"
The woman gestured at something. Dawn couldn't help but notice something on her hands- they were… covered in ash?
She shook her head. It was not important.
"...the firecrackers? You want them?"
"Malkuth."
"Was that… a yes or a no?"
"Malkuth!"
"Just… just gesture! Use your hands, I can't understand what you're saying!"
"...Malkuth." she said, pointing once again at the firecrackers. She then gave a thumbs-down.
"You don't want them?"
She made a "bigger" gesture with her two hands.
"Bigger firecrackers?"
Another negative gesture. A finger rising to the sky, and then a mimicked explosion.
"Fireworks… I… I think I might have some? On the back of the store. I haven't used them for some time, don't know if they're still good. But… that will cost you. What do you even want them for…?"
It's such a deep slumber.
I can watch those waters, churning, twisting… and they're warm.
I wish I'd never taken this role.
I don't wish I'd remained content with what I once was… but maybe I should have chosen a different path.
I've always wanted to be a Fixer. Did all of them have dreams, too?
All of the others?
All of us, sleeping within this graveyard?
But now…
We are neither alive nor dead.
We await within those tombstones, dreaming…
Miss Malkuth, where are you? You taught me all I know. I always wanted to be like you.
Can you give me one last lesson…?
Please teach me how to wake up.
I don't want to dream of flames anymore.
When Saga woke up, she did not see her newfound friend.
She opened her eyes, and saw that the campfire she had left was still lit. The flames were exactly as they had been left when she slept- they had not been extinguished, and they had not grown.
The pot above them was hissing and letting out steam.
Saga carefully reached out and removed the lid.
It was stew. A pot of stew.
She'd left a pot of stew.
She was going away, wasn't she? Away from here…
Well, supposed Saga.
Perhaps it's time for me to follow.
She prepared herself to slip into a meditative trance. But something stopped her- the smell. The scent of the stew entered her nose.
Hm.
Perhaps she would have a bit of stew before it.
When the work result was Good, the Qliphoth Counter lowered.
When the work result was Normal, the Qliphoth Counter lowered.
Please refrain from sending Control Department employees to the Containment Unit.
"Storyteller! Storyteller!" said a little girl, coming into his house, screaming.
The man was currently busy writing something or another. He turned his head towards the little girl, who was gesturing for him to come out.
"What- are the Ink Spirits attacking?"
"No, no! Didn't you hear it? The fireworks! Someone's set up fireworks!"
"Uh?"
He couldn't resist. He had to look at it. Did Dawn set her fireworks off? Did… did she even have enough for a show?
The girl took his hand, and pulled him out of the house.
He had a faint smile on his face as he stepped out- but soon, it was replaced by disbelief.
"Isn't it pretty?!"
This…
This wasn't a fireworks show.
This was…
This was a dragon.
A colossal dragon of flame, risen from the mountain, dancing in the sky. It was hauntingly beautiful…
"She launched a big fireworks show into the sky! And now, she's summoned a dragon, storyteller!"
Summoned… a dragon.
What was this?
How did she know?
How could she know? He'd never seen her before. Who was this person?
Manager! This is the captain of Disciplinary. The ALEPH-classed Abnormality "Flames Lurking Within" has breached containment!
The transference was botched- We've had a complete failure on the Deterrence protocols! I am requesting permission to- no.
No, get away from me!
No!
"...I want to ask." said the woman, while finishing her painting. "What are you? I still don't know."
"Malkuth."
"You are "Malkuth." You refuse to be anything else. But you were meant to be that something else, weren't you?"
"Malkuth."
"...I won't leave with you."
Silence.
"Why do you… why do you want this?"
Silence.
"Do you… see something of yourself in me?"
Silence.
"I spoke to the monk already. And I still don't understand you. You came out of nowhere. How did you even know I was here? Who are you? Did one of the others send you."
A shake of her head.
"No?" she asks. "Then why?"
"Malkuth."
A sigh.
"I can't understand you, you know. But I know you can speak. You can speak at any moment."
"Malkuth."
"You once spoke, didn't you? When you were different from what you are today."
Silence.
"I won't be leaving."
A hand reaches out and grabs the arm of the dragon, interrupting her painting.
"Stop- stop this! I won't be leaving!"
She starts dragging her off.
"Malkuth."
"Stop!"
"Malkuth."
The painter wrenches herself free- and snarls. She reaches for her sword-
And then the room erupts in fire.
Oi, man, stop sulking. We've made it to Grade 5 today, haven't we?
Yeah. It's a big accomplishment, but I'm…
You're what?
I'm just wondering if we'll ever become something important, you know? If we'll ever get strong enough to take on the big leagues.
Well, you better get to work, if you want to get there.
Yeah, yeah. I don't like being the boss, you know? I swear, one day I'm going to find a way to shunt this off on one of you.
Nah. If you want someone to be the boss, you're going to have to find someone for that. No way I'm ever getting your workload without a 30% cut of everything, at least. And we swore we'd never do that, right?
...yeah. We're all in this together.
Now, we've gotta get to District F today. There's reports of… unusual phenomena? Doesn't matter. What matters is that we've got to find out what is causing it.
Backstreets or Nest?
Backstreets, obviously. You think I'm made of money?
Wonder why they couldn't just hire the Sevens, if they want a mystery solved.
Well, Turbulence Office is cheaper.
Yeah, there's that. We have to be, to compete with the other guys. But I wonder what we'll find. This City is full of mysteries.
Well, whatever it is, it has something to do with fire, according to the info we already have. Bring the protective gear, okay? I don't want to get in a brawl without it... I've learned my lesson last time.
Last edited:
malkuth
kaillll
Judgment Upon You
of corse.
there could not be two malkuth at once.
so one have to be pertenting.
...
have the girl who burned away everything found a new home yet?
no, i suppose that wasn't the right question.
have the ash who will not see the world and herself found something that she can finally be yet? the match girl who wonders the street, seeking the illusion of warm fire, she repeated the same word over and over again, yet no one came.
the stars sure are tearful tonight.
Da capo al fine, per sempre.
there could not be two malkuth at once.
so one have to be pertenting.
...
have the girl who burned away everything found a new home yet?
no, i suppose that wasn't the right question.
have the ash who will not see the world and herself found something that she can finally be yet? the match girl who wonders the street, seeking the illusion of warm fire, she repeated the same word over and over again, yet no one came.
the stars sure are tearful tonight.
Da capo al fine, per sempre.
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thenew
#1 Masters of the Bazaar Fan
- Location
- My Lodgings
Ah... "Malkuth", aka "Flames Lurking Within", an Aleph ranked Abnormality created from a nameless employee of L-Corp. Reacted incredibly badly to people from the Control Department, aka the real Malkuth's department in LobCorp. Originally one of the employees of Control, until getting transferred to Binah and turned into an Abnormality. True form, from what little description from this interlude, appears to be a singular eye surrounded by a firestorm. Able to control her flames. Was eventually found and then recruited by Turbulence assumedly in the Backstreets of District F.
What an interesting Fixer of Turbulence, I see.
What an interesting Fixer of Turbulence, I see.
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Gun and Powder
Tax Evader the Arknight Operator
- Location
- W.Corp Train
- Pronouns
- He/They
At least getting bad work result is easier than normal.
The real question here is how did she exist before L-Corp?
Because big sis Malkuth/The Malkuth Reverberation existed beforehand, if I'm remembering that correctly.
From what I can remember, given the current timeline she might've existed before the actual Malkuth became Malkuth.
I may just be misremembering or lore has changed, but something wacky is up.
Because big sis Malkuth/The Malkuth Reverberation existed beforehand, if I'm remembering that correctly.
From what I can remember, given the current timeline she might've existed before the actual Malkuth became Malkuth.
I may just be misremembering or lore has changed, but something wacky is up.
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- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They/Them
Seems like Malkuth is kidnapping a dragon? I honestly don't know what happened besides Malkuth being an Aleph Abno.
2P1-nd4
Iron Top, the Paradox Future form of Spinda
More than one of an Abno can exist at a time, for an Abno to be extracted/come into being the event which created or inpsired it need not have happened yet, Abnos can leak into reality in from the Well/River in areas of weakness like with Big Bird being retrieved from the Black Forest, unlike his brothers who per words of the director were extracted from human subjects. So Malk could've leaked from the Well before L-Corps creation, gone back to the well, and then been extracted by Binah.
Gun and Powder
Tax Evader the Arknight Operator
- Location
- W.Corp Train
- Pronouns
- He/They
(Most) Abnormalities are made by Lobotomy Corporation by injecting Cogito (I don't know how to explain it) into human subjects.
kaillll
Judgment Upon You
Abnos are made with humans injected with cogito, basiclly super mind juice that make the voices/monsters in your head real.
most abnos made this way have some resumblce to the origin humans, but they are not the same anymore.
they do not remeber their human past, they do not care about their past friends. they have become the monsters.
the last thought of the child is wanting to become someone else....and the child became the girl they want to be, only....its just a bad mimicry.
the child had burned away her soul for the wishes of others, yet there was no comfort for the child at the end, she cannot even see the one she wants to see when the fire ate away everything, that was never a possibility, she was in a branch facility.
She wonders, She wanders, on the streets of the cursed city.
she had no home, the drangon ate away the only "home" she can go to, it was a cold place anyway.
so when the child saw a hand, a place she can go to, offered to her....she taked it.
and now she will be the hand that reached towards others, offering them a place they can go to.
most abnos made this way have some resumblce to the origin humans, but they are not the same anymore.
they do not remeber their human past, they do not care about their past friends. they have become the monsters.
the last thought of the child is wanting to become someone else....and the child became the girl they want to be, only....its just a bad mimicry.
the child had burned away her soul for the wishes of others, yet there was no comfort for the child at the end, she cannot even see the one she wants to see when the fire ate away everything, that was never a possibility, she was in a branch facility.
She wonders, She wanders, on the streets of the cursed city.
she had no home, the drangon ate away the only "home" she can go to, it was a cold place anyway.
so when the child saw a hand, a place she can go to, offered to her....she taked it.
and now she will be the hand that reached towards others, offering them a place they can go to.
Redsoff
[DETACHMENT]
- Location
- By [your] side
Is...is every member of Turbulence Office going to have some inhuman bits in them? I mean, Wympe and her Seaborn infection, Nicole and her lungs made of Smokebeast flesh, and now Linette is a blob of shapeshifting goop. What next, is Emil Sinclair going to merge with his gun? TreeClair?
Who is that Storyteller? Why does Malkuth want to leave with Dawn? Is it just because she resonates with Malkuth's nature as an Abnomality, or is it something else?
Who is that Storyteller? Why does Malkuth want to leave with Dawn? Is it just because she resonates with Malkuth's nature as an Abnomality, or is it something else?
She was in the Main Facility. She was talking to Binah and was taught by Malkuth. Possibly this took place early enough before the loops were activated, or one X had a really bad day.
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Gun and Powder
Tax Evader the Arknight Operator
- Location
- W.Corp Train
- Pronouns
- He/They
Storyteller is a male form that Dusk took in the past, they change how they look every few decade or something.
kaillll
Judgment Upon You
i mean when she became a abno, she was in a branch facility, so when she go mad, there wasn't a possibility for her to meet malkuth.
other wise she won't be out here and with sieg, she would have been in the HQ basement.
and this would have been gebura.
also there was a loop ever sence day one what are you talking about before it activated, it was running since the day Lobcorp started their work
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Presumably Flames Lurking Within/"Malkuth" was originally in the main facility, but got transferred out in the way that some of the WonderLab Abnormalities did, just she was able to breach containment afterwards.
TL;DR Dusk is one of several fragments of a shattered god named Sui, and had accepted Sui's inevitable revival and was just waiting inside her painted world. Nian, her sister, in WiR essentially forced her to come out and actually start resisting said revival.
So who knows, maybe Nian found "Malkuth" and went "wait yo..." and sent her this way since she knew "Malkuth" would be able to resist/ignore the psychological aspects of Dusk's paintings. She did something similar with Lava and Kroos in WiR, albeit she gave them a little device that would summon her if they used it, in order to get around Dusk avoiding her.
More specifically it's a disguise she uses inside her painted world of the now long dead Dawn's village, because she's NEETing out and angsting because Who Is Real? And she can't cope with Dawn's death.
TL;DR Dusk is one of several fragments of a shattered god named Sui, and had accepted Sui's inevitable revival and was just waiting inside her painted world. Nian, her sister, in WiR essentially forced her to come out and actually start resisting said revival.
So who knows, maybe Nian found "Malkuth" and went "wait yo..." and sent her this way since she knew "Malkuth" would be able to resist/ignore the psychological aspects of Dusk's paintings. She did something similar with Lava and Kroos in WiR, albeit she gave them a little device that would summon her if they used it, in order to get around Dusk avoiding her.
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Seneron4
Have at thee!
- Location
- Lost in Transportation
Malkuth explicitly didn't come here on Nian or any other Suiblings request. Maybe because her nature as an Abnormality that is resisting her own nature might be why Malkuth wants Dusk to not give up and is dragging her out of her NEETcave.
Man. I did not expect the goddamn Malkuth Reverberation of all turbulence members to have a legitimately interesting backstory that works really fuckin' well. Doubly so when you consider The Will to Stand up Straight, and the fact that this ALEPH abnormality is practically summarizing it in the way they act.
...Dunno if it'd hold much sway now, but I think Malkuth (the real one) would be proud of her. I can't help but feel like that holds at least some meaning. Anyways, I do find it interesting that a lot of Turb Office has some sort of inhuman qualities to their various members- They're a bunch of weirdos, and even in the City itself, the one thing that's definably weird to a lot of people is exactly those inhuman qualities.
...Dunno if it'd hold much sway now, but I think Malkuth (the real one) would be proud of her. I can't help but feel like that holds at least some meaning. Anyways, I do find it interesting that a lot of Turb Office has some sort of inhuman qualities to their various members- They're a bunch of weirdos, and even in the City itself, the one thing that's definably weird to a lot of people is exactly those inhuman qualities.
Kalibrius
God of reflection
- Location
- The other side of the mirror
Combo abberant in likelihood
Likely a person who worked with nothing there and matchstick girl,........ Likely didn't meet malkuths standards and things went down hill, mayhaps idolized malkuth
Assuming ego gifts we're involved then upoun abnormality transformation borrowed their frameworks
Nothing there's transformation ability
Matchsticks flame
Likely an embodiment of burn out due to work........... which wouldn't be uncommon in the city when you contemplate it
Likely a person who worked with nothing there and matchstick girl,........ Likely didn't meet malkuths standards and things went down hill, mayhaps idolized malkuth
Assuming ego gifts we're involved then upoun abnormality transformation borrowed their frameworks
Nothing there's transformation ability
Matchsticks flame
Likely an embodiment of burn out due to work........... which wouldn't be uncommon in the city when you contemplate it